Enhance your next interview experience!
Congratulations! You’ve just landed an interview for a great job. It’s a fit in terms of your skills, experience, and career goals, and you can’t wait to get in there and wow your potential employers during the interview. Although you are excited, don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Thoughtfully prepare for the interview. Do your research and get ready to explain to the interviewers how you can do the job effectively and why you’re a good fit for the role and company overall. But don’t stop there! Consider how you can present your skills in a relevant and comprehensive way, maximize your focus and active listening skills during the interview, and illustrate how you will add value to the role and organization overall.
You need to possess the right skills in order to be a viable candidate for any job. Those skills are expressed in the job description and can be classified as hard skills. These skills are usually acquired through your education, on-the-job experience, professional development programs, certifications, and other formal training sources. They are the skills necessary to do the job. Many candidates think that’s all they need when it comes to being successful in a new role, and they just focus on addressing these hard skills in an interview. To present your skills in a relevant and comprehensive way, make sure you express other skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace and society in general. These are called soft skills and consist of things such as communication, team work, critical thinking, leadership, and problem solving. In the interview, illustrate how you possess these skills and how your aptitude in these areas will support your success in the role and within the work community overall.
When you are in the interview, focus on the experience and listen carefully. Make sure you answer the questions they are asking you. If something is not clear, ask for clarification so you will respond to the question accurately and effectively. Pay close attention to what they employers say, and also how they react to your responses. Read your audience. If they keep talking about how well the team works together, mention your past experience working effectively on teams or in group settings. Employers want someone who can do the job and will be a good fit with company culture. Don’t be so concerned with saying everything you think is important that you miss what the potential employers really want to hear!
You may be qualified for the job, but you will be competing against other candidates that will have similar or even better credentials. You need to go the extra mile to show how you will add value. How will your unique skills and experience allow you to succeed in the role? Do your skills surpass the requirements listed in the job description? People are assets within organizations and employers want the most bang for their buck. Determine how you will add value to the role and organization that no one else will be able to. How will you be a hire that is a difference maker? The key is to identify that and then communicate it effectively to your potential employers.
Prior to your next big interview determine how you can present all of your valuable skills, focus and engage in active listening to communicate as effectively as possible during the interview, and explain the value you will add in the role and within the organization. All of these elements are difference makers that can help you shine and land that coveted next position!
